Flour and Beans
by TheHaziestofPandas
Summary: "So If a Latte is 1 espresso shot and steamed milk what is a macchiato?" "The same thing but upside down with another espresso shot, not stirred." "Wait, what?" XOXO StevexLoki In which Loki has been sentenced to live life as a mortal and has been forced to work in a coffee shop. Set after The Dark World but Loki never died.
1. Prologue

**Hey there reader! I'm so glad the summary made you stop by! I do hope you like the story but before you dive in, there are a few things I should warn you about!**  
1\. This is a StevexLoki fic that starts off T rated but will eventually get brought up to M.  
2\. There is an OC in this story who becomes close with some of the Avengers but the story is not about her.  
3\. There are mature recreational activities mentioned in this story (i.e. alcohol and drug use)  
**That is all for now, I will update the rating and warnings as the story progresses if need be. Thank you all!**

Prologue

Not Many things can change Odin's mind once it's made up on a certain topic. The topic of his youngest son however, is a more complicated matter. Ever the trickster Loki was, and fun loving in the most mischievous ways. He grew up believing his father and brother loved him, but just not enough. Thor was the golden child, perfect in everyway to the eyes of not only his father, but the entire realm of Asgard.  
Loki however, did not receive the same devotion. Most either feared, hated or simply respected him as Thor's younger Brother. He grew up in the shade of a shadow he spent most of his life desperately trying to grow out of. Only to learn that he belonged in a different forest. Adopted. By the enemy if of his people, told stories of the horrors they caused this realm.  
How could he not see himself a monster? And thus he became one.

"Do you think me unwise in my rulings son?" Odin's commanding voice echoed off the walls of the throne room.

"Father on the contrary, I think you the wisest king Asgard has known. I'm merely asking you to use your wisdom and see things in another light. Loki has changed, redeemed himself in ways, shown remorse and concern for others." Thor says in a tone that is almost melancholy. His gaze drops for a moment "He saved Jane's life."  
Odin's face twitches with the slightest bit of surprise. "Did he now?" Is all he says, quickly as if trying to hide his surprise.  
"Yes, a dark elf threw a black hole grenade towards Jane and he knocked her out of the way and almost got swept up in it. If I had caught him a second later he would not be in the dungeons right now." He looked up at his father "He then saved me, when the Kursed Beast was about to take my life he sent a clone of himself the kill the beast while fighting off the last of Malekith's Dark warriors." Thor finishes.  
Odin seems to be contemplating Thor's story. After the last few weeks, it all seemed very far fetched. After a long few minutes of simply staring at Thor, Odin finally breaks the silence.  
"I will consider your proposal to have Loki released, provided your mortal associates agree with your judgement on Loki's rehabilitation." His voice remains as stoic as his features as he dismisses the matter with a simple wave of his hand.  
"Thank you Father! Ever as forgiving as you are wise! I will speak with them at once!" Thors shouts running across the long rows of columns and through the large doors of the throne room.


	2. Chapter 1

It was around 4pm when Steve received a call from Tony. He was in the process of packing his gym bag before heading home.

"Listen Capsicle, I don't know what it's about either but Thor really needed to talk to us. Said it's detrimental to the safety of the realms' and I wasn't going to argue with that" Tony's cool voice comes through the small device; he is only just now getting used to despite having the thing for over 6 months.

"Sounds important then, did he say when?"

Just then there was a loud thudding sound on the other end of the phone and a long exasperated sigh from the man on said phone. Steve took the moment to put down the phone to zip his gym bag closed.

"I'm guessing right now." Tony says in a not-so enthusiastic voice.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Have you called clint and Natasha?" Steve asks a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Have a nice night, get home safe!" Steve called to Carlo the gym owner on his way out.

"Yeah, they're on their way. And Bruce is already down in the lab, he was here when Thor dropped by the first time. I still don't know why he won't use the cellphone I gave him." Tony grumbles making steve chuckle slightly.

"Probably the same reason I hardly use the damn thing, it's too complicated and impersonal." Steve regrets his words as soon as he hears the over dramatic gasp on the other end.

"Captain, did you just use a curse word!" Says tony in an overdramatized mocking tone. Another chuckle from the blonde.

"I'll see you soon Tony" Came his only answer as he hung up on the billionaire, starting his motorcycle and heading up-town.

Back at the Newly redesigned Avengers Tower Tony is standing in front of the large wall of glass windows. The elevator dings revealing a very tired looking brunette scientist tapping away at an ipad as he beelines for the Keurig in the common floor kitchen.

"Hey big guy!" Tony calls from across the room as he heads towards the bar and pours himself a drink.

"Mhm-huh" Along with a slight wave is the only response he receives from the other man. Who is now pouring an unreasonable amount of sugar into his coffee mug.

The Elevator dings again as Natasha and Clint step out midway through a discussion about Fury's latest assignments for the pair. Clint joins Banner in the kitchen for coffee and Natasha makes herself comfortable in the couch in the common area.

"But what if we split up this time, that way we watch to see what's going on from different angles?" Natasha calls across the room.

"Last time we tried that I ended up getting captured and you didn't know for almost 3 hours." Clint says in a volume just above a mumble

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" She yells back. Tony always forgets just how amazing the spy's hearing really is.

"You weren't the one tied to a chair" Clint shouts before downing almost half of his coffee mug in one gulp.

The elevator dings once more as the boisterous God Of Thunder announces his presence "Friends! It is good to see all of you! Where is the good Captain?" The Blonde Asgardian says making a wide gesture with his arms.

"Spangles will be here in a few minutes. I just got off the phone with him. Which brings me to the question, why do you not use the one I gave you?" Tony asks before taking another rather large gulp of his whiskey.

"Oh, I- Well the connection does not work on Asgard" comes his unsure answer.

"Ah, but you were not on asgard when you decided to drop by." Tony counters

"I did come from Asgard" Thor corrects

"Okay. I guess I'll give you that one." Tony admits.

As the Team waits around for Rogers they all take a few moments to actually catch up. Meetings at S.H.I.E.L.D. hardly require everyone to be in one place at a given time. It's nice to see everyone when there isn't fighting involved. It's been the first time since the battle of New York city that they have all been in the same place at the same time. Bruce finishes his Second cup of coffee and begins brewing another after Thor demands to have "The dark hot drink that makes him go fast". And Natasha decides she will have a cup after all.

Just then the elevator dings once more, and Captain Rogers steps out carrying a duffle bag over his left shoulder.

"Finally taking up the offer to move in Cap?" Tony jokes. "Just don't know how long this meeting will be. The last one lasted 4 hours if I recall. I'd rather spend the night if this really is a realm safety meeting, who knows how long it could last." Rogers says setting the bag down by the couch Natasha occupies. Then making his way to the other side to have a seat next to her.

"Great, well since we're all here, wanna tell us what's so important I had to cancel my plans tonight?" Tony asked in mock annoyance, clapping Thor on the shoulder

"Loki" he says simply, as a collective sigh rings out from all of the Avengers. As Tony drops his hand and downs the rest of the whiskey in his glass as he makes his way back to his bar for another one.

"Didn't we deal with Bag of Cats already?" Comes Clints cold question from somewhere in the kitchen, effectively breaking the silence that fell upon the other heroes.

"Honestly, I was wondering when he would be brought back up again. It couldn't have possibly been that easy" Is the first thing bruce says as he gets up to put his coffee mug in the sink, having fully rejoined the land of the living.

"Where is he now?" Natasha asks Calmly.

"In a cell on Asgard, Loki has done no wrong this time friends! Quite the contrary in fact, I am here to plead on his behalf. Since the Events of last year Loki has actually improved and changes his ways. He feels remorse for the things he has done. I fear the death of our mother is a contributing factor to this change. The two of them were quite close, she taught him to read and shared her gifts with seiðr magics and helped Loki learn to control them. I offered him a chance at vengeance in exchange for helping me kill Malekith the leader of the dark elves. And he sacrificed himself to save my lady jane-" Thor begins his ramblings

"Wait, I thought you just said he was in a cell on Asgard?" Clint interrupts him with a hand pinching the bridge of his nose and the other stirring his coffee.

"As he is! And as I was saying, Loki was a valuable ally in the fight against the Dark Elves. He saved my life and the life of my dear Jane Foster. He did so without any attempts to escape, even going so far as to allow himself to be brought back to the dungeons." Thor says with even more encouragement and sincerity.

"So...what, Voldemort saves his brother's girlfriend and were supposed to just forgive him for killing Harry's parents?" Tony says sarcastically gesturing to Thor then briefly to Clint.

"I don't understa-" Thor begins with a confused look

"What Tony is trying to say is why should we forgive him for causing so much damage to not only us but our planet and only doing something so minuscule and ,frankly, selfish?" Bruce interjects

"How is sacrificing one's self, selfish?" Thor asks.

"When it is done for selfish reasons such as vengeance against the ones who killed your mother." Natasha answers while staring straight at the table

"He didn't exactly do anything for the greater good. We can't ignore the fact the Loki did things that weren't exclusively for his own benefit. But we can't forgive him just for doing things that weren't for a good cause." Steve better explains.

"I'm not asking to let Loki walk free, or even to be fully forgiven. I am merely asking his sentence to be lessened, to not be confined in the dungeons of Asgard for all eternity." Thor reasons. Silence falls on the group around the table.

"Thor what is it exactly you're asking of us?" Steve breaks the silence.

"To speak before the all father on my brothers behalf?" Thor says with a slightly shaky voice.

The group collectively let out a frustrated sigh. And a low chuckle can be heard from the archer who walks away clutching his arms together and resting them on his head. Noone says anything out loud and after a few minutes Clint comes back the table face scrunched in thought.

"Then answer me this at least, why should we?" The archer asks leaning over the table at Thor.

"Yeah, and what I really want to know is why did Loki do it? Why did he invade earth in the first place?" Steve asks sounding quite puzzled.

Thor stood there silent for a moment, face contorted in reminiscent sorrow.

"Loki was always troubled growing up. Although he was an asgardian prince, people still thought of him as lesser due to his methods and habits. Instead of relying on strength and fighting, Loki prefered to strategize and negotiate." Thor began

"Which is arguably the smarter way" Steve interjects, Tony may have rolled his eyes but Steve didn't see it.

"Yes, but it is not the Asgardian way."

"So people thought he was weak?" Tony assumes.

"Something like that, his use of seiðr magic and weapons of choice made people of the nines see his as Ergi. And thus Loki was known as the Princess of Asgard rather-" Thor explains

"Woah, woah hold on!" Tony interrupts putting his whiskey down and making a 'time out' motion with his hands. "So reindeer games can use magic and ninja snipe people out undetected and people think that makes him Gay?!" Tony asked I'm confused enthusiasm.

"If by that you mean Loki's slender physique and agility, easily concealed weapons and use of seiðr made him a formidable opponent, then yes." Thor responds smiling at the fact that even tipsy Tony can keep up.

"And in a society such as that, it must have been detrimental to his reputation huh?" Steve asks looking at the table. All eyes were now on the captain, who refused to meet any of their gazes.

"Yes, it truly was, Although it never seemed to bother Loki. However, people stopped calling him that shortly after the birth of his daughter Hel from his marriage to Angrboða. And although she was his fourth child, most Asgardians didn't accept his sons due to-"

"Wait Loki has a child?!" Clint practically shouts

"Loki has many children if the Myths are true." Natasha speaks up. "But out of curiosity..Sleipnir?"

"Was his first child yes" Thor answers

"So he really procreated with a horse?" Natasha asks stunned

"Wait what!?" Clint shouts jumping up from the table.

"I think Thor had a point?" Steve says harshly

"Loki knowingly has 6 children. All of which no longer reside with him. Sleipnir resides in the royal stables of Asgard, Hel was banished to the underworld as a child to rule over the dead alongside her brother Fenrir, Jörmungandr is the great snake that slithers between the Branches and roots of Yggdrasil. And Valì and Narfi were.." Thor trails off, this story was one he vowed to never bring up.

"Massacred" Natasha whispers into the table.

Thor simply nods as a silence falls over the room. It's Tony who breaks it, downing a full glass of whiskey he had been babysitting since the beginning of the story.

"Shit, I'd probably go batshit if anyone ever destroyed my tech like that, and that's rebuildable. But to do that to someone's children and expect them to still be princely, and goodhearted hell no!" Tony's shallow remarks were meant to lighten the mood but to no avail.

"Loki is not all bad. People saw him as a monster, he was prophesied to be a monster, and so he became one. But it was not always this way. Growing up Loki loved to laugh, and he loved to make others laugh, even if it meant someone else was getting embarrassed. He never meant harm, he fought to protect our realm even at great personal costs. He may not be a hero, but he is neither a villain."

"He had an army sent in to the city and personally killed 80 people in 2 days and enslaved twice as many with mind control" Natasha calmly reminded him.

"Actually, I've been looking into that part" Bruce speaks up. Everybody turns to look at the quiet scientist at once, making Bruce suddenly feel nervous for a second.

"Uhm, so the Tesseract. We know of its power and how that power can affect the human mind. Now I know that Asgardians are probably more resistant to most things that humans aren't, but is it possible that he was also under the control of the tesseract? That scepter he always had, it had a shard of the tesseract in it and it's quite possible that it was controlling him as easily as it was controlling Agent Barton." Bruce finishes

"Loki spoke of an outside force that controlled the Chitauri. Do you think it is possible that whoever it is was also controlling Loki?" Thor asks hopeful.

"I think it is possible" Bruce says scratching his head.

"So wait now were all suddenly on Loki's side?" Clint says with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I wouldn't say were on his side, but I think we can agree that there may be more to what happened to Loki than what we know." Steve answers authoritatively.

"Friends, this brings me back to the favor I must ask of you. I am aware that what I am asking is a rather large request, but I need your help." Thor begins in a pleading tone, when nobody objects he continues.

"My father is willing to lessen Loki's sentence provided all of you agree on a new form of recompense. He will meet with us as soon as possible."

"Okay so how soon is that?" Tony asked almost instantly regretting that last glass of whiskey.

"Well we are all here! Heimdal!?" Thor shouts as a bright blinding flash of lights of all colors gathered around the group encasing the table. And suddenly, all of them were being hurtled through space at incomprehensible speeds.

Bright flashes of stars and galaxies fly past them and the looks on the faces of the team are priceless.

The whole team drops to the floor save for Thor and Steve. It is Natasha who collects herself first, jumping to her feet meer seconds after landing. Followed by Barton who groans and stretches his back.

"A little warning next time, would be really great point break" Tony says covering his face with one hand and holding his stomach with his other.

"That was amazing, do you guys travel like that every time?" Steve asks looking around to take in the new scenery. The glimmering gold interior of the Bi-frost was intricate and magnificent, the skies were the most brilliant blue and there was a smell of sage and ambrosia that seemed to radiate from the very foundations of Asgard.

Slowly Tony managed to get back on his feet. "So this is Asgard" he said still rubbing his temples.

"Well this is Bi-frost, but that-" Thor corrects him stepping forward and pointing to the golden shining city ahead. "- is Asgard."

The Team, except Bruce who was still lying on the floor, stepped forward to get a better look at the city of gods.

*x*x*x*

Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think about the story so far! Constructive criticism is welcome but please keep in mind I am a sensitive bean! Re-edit! Fixed some grammar, added some spice. ;)


	3. Chapter 2

As the Chariot pulled up right in front of the gleaming Asgardian courtyard the group of Heros steps out one by one. When Thor steps out the busy people of Asgard all stop ball their fists and cross it over their chest taking a knee. Thor simply nods his approval and the busy citizens continue their tasks.

Tony and Bruce begin discussing the architecture of the buildings all around them. Noticing their curved shapes and comparing how they could actually be beneficial to the weather on the planet. They begin asking Thor questions about Asgard's climate, which he is more than happy to explain. As they walk through the golden pillars of the courtyard Steve takes notice of all of the different people there, their manners and the way they are dressed.

"Thor?" He asks

"Yes my friend?"

"Does Asgard have a class system? Like royals, nobles, peasants?" Steve asks with slight hesitation.

"Why yes, there is my father and mother the king and queen of the nine realms. Lady Sif who is of noble birth and the warriors 3 who are asgards finest warriors and therefore considered nobles. Then there are commoners such as farmers and hunters and others who work for their living" Thor says with a smile, he was truly pleased that his new friends were so interested in his home planet.

"Oh, wow. So what about those people over there?" Steve asks gesturing to two slender figures tending to horses in the stables. One was brushing a beautiful brown and white speckled horse while the other was shoveling hay and horse droppings out of a stall. Both looked as though they had not eaten in days and their clothes were torn and dirty.

"Do not make eye contact with them good captain. Those are Lord Børgnir's slaves and he is very avaricious of them. The last man who stared too long lost a finger." Thor warns.

A mix of shock, horror, disgust and pity falls upon the captain's face.

"Wait a second!" Tony shouts stopping mid step to look at Thor in exaggerated confusion. "You mean to tell me that you're a species supposedly 'more advanced' than humans but after several millennia slavery is still a thing"? His shocked reaction draws a few stares. Thor notices this claps his hand down on Tony's shoulder carefully forcing him to continue forward.

"Ah my friend" he says with a slight chuckle "Slavery on Asgard is not always a life sentence. It is usually a punishment, some deeds found too grand for redemption yet too meager to warrant death. Very few slaves were born slaves, even less will die as such." Thor says in an attempt to placate Tony.

"Are there at least restrictions on what the slaves are made to do?" Steve asks venomously.

"No. Slaves are considered property and this is one subject I care not to explain." Thor says sternly and the subject is dropped leaving the team with many more questions.

The rest of the walk through the courtyard is fairly quiet, save for Thor pointing out various statues of his ancestors.

Natasha was the only one who seemed to notice a few curious citizens following behind them, whispering about the strangers their future king has brought to their realm.

By the time they reached the large Grand doors to the Asgardian Palace, there was a fairly sizable gaggle of people of all classes gathered behind them whispering and trying to connect faces to the heros from Thor's stories.

"Are you the Man Of Iron?" One of the citizens shouts, pointing at Steve.

All of them slowly turn around a little confused.

"Uhm, nope, that would be me." Tony says stepping forward and pointing his thumb to his chest.

"Oh" is all she says whispering something being smaller than expected.

"See, I told you he's the Captain! The man with the strength of 10 Asgardians!" The citizen says elbowing her friend in the side.

"Heh, yes uhm, I'm Steve Rogers. And they call me Captain America." Steve says a little shocked to be put on the spot.

"Black Widow I love you!" Another citizen shouts from the back. Natasha raises one eyebrow but gives a little half wave at least.

"Where is the big green man?" One shouts making bruce sink into himself a little.

"Okay time to go." Clint says ushering everyone inside as more shouts of praise from the crowd echoed off the walls of the golden hall.

"Well, that happened." Tony deadpans.

"I am sorry my friends, I didn't know expect to have such a crowd of admirers." Thor says apologetically.

"Its okay, I should be used to it by now." Bruce answers while ringing his hands a bit.

"I'm still trying to figure out why they were so much more interested in all of you, than me?"

"Get a hold of yourself Stark, they were interested in all of us. Thor must have told them about us." Steve says sternly.

"Easy for you to say, they swooned at the sight of you!" Tony says bringing the back of his hand to his forehead and faking a fainting spell.

"Boys, are you done?" Natasha cuts in.

They say nothing as they continue after Thor.

They soon reach a set of double doors leading to another shorter hallway lined with six larger thick pillars with arched windows between each one. At the end of the hall are another set of double doors but these doors are much larger and adorned with grand engravings and large handles glimmering with gold adornments.

Sitting on a bench in Asgardian robes with her head buried in a leather bound book was Dr. Jane Foster. Who looks up excitedly at the group, closing her book and jumping up off the bench. She quickly makes her way across the hall and Thor does the same. They meet in the middle and Thor lifts her off her feet in a loving embrace, making Jane laugh wholeheartedly.

When they finally break apart Jane remains tangled around Thor's arm with a big smile plastered on her face.

"My friends, this is Jane foster."Thor says with a Beaming smile.

It's Bruce who steps forward first, holding his hand out to her.

"Hello Dr. Foster! It's truly wonderful to meet you, my name is Dr. Bruce Banner."

She lights up shaking his hand vigorously.

Somewhere behind Bruce, Tony crosses his arms over his chest annoyed that his science bro is excited to meet another scientist who has more in common than they do.

"It is a pleasure Dr Banner! Your work on thermonuclear Astrophysics is Astounding! I have based a lot of my own research off of your calculations!" She says excitedly making Bruce Smile and Tony roll his eyes.

Bruce steps back allowing Steve to greet the astrophysicist next.

"It's lovely to meet you ma'am, name's Steve Rogers." He says giving his a firm handshake and a warm smile.

"It's lovely to meet you as well, Thor had told me much about you!" Jane says returning the smile.

"All good I hope." He says stepping aside for Natasha.

"Welcome to Asgard , it is an absolute pleasure to meet the woman who can fight better than any of these men!" Jane says trying not to grab Natasha's hand and shake it with more intensity than an Earthquake. Natasha is surprised by her excitement and its genuinely flattered.

"Someone has to keep these boys in line." Natasha says smiling to the surprise of everyone in the room.

"You'll have to show me how you do it sometime!" Jane beams.

"I could teach you a thing or two I suppose" Natasha says with the smoothness of whipped butter. Jane blushes pushing her hair behind her ears.

"I look forward to it" Natasha says with a wink striding to the side.

"Hi, I'm Clint Barton. Thor talks about you alot. It's nice to meet you." He says very too the point.

"It's nice to meet you too Clint." She says with a slight nod

"I guess that leaves me. Although you probably already know who I am. I mean, who doesn't at this point?" Tony says uncrossing his arms and offering his hand.

"It's nice to meet you in person Mr. Stark." She says taking his hand in a quick shake.

"So when do we actually get to meet with God Daddy then?" Tong asks clapping his hands together

"Tomorrow my friends tonight is a night of merriment"

"What are we celebrating" Natasha asks confused.

"You, my friends" Thor says loudly gesturing around at the group

"As Thor's honored guests we all get to have dinner here, drink mead, spend the night and then tomorrow we'll be serves breakfast before being granted an audience with Odin." Jane answers with a beaming smile

"I mean that all sounds great to me." Clint says

"And what if we had plans?" Agent Barton asks

"And what plans do you have birdman?" Tony asked with a slight laugh.

"You didn't exactly give as any time to prepare a testimony." Natasha says ignoring Tony's comment.

"Words from the heart are more likely to move my father anyway.

"Do you truly believe this will help Loki, thor?" Steve asks sincerely

Thor looks a bit forlorn at the question, he hadn't really thought about practicalities yet, only that he wanted his brother back and was willing to do whatever was needed to make it happen.

"I do not know. Loki's mind is troubled, torn between what he desires and what he knows is right. I used to think I could tell what he was thinking but he has since changed." Thor says with sadness in his eyes.

" But everybody changes, that doesn't mean they can't change again." Jane reasons

"But can you wipe out that much red?" Natasha asks, echoing Loki's own previous words. A silence falls upon the group that is almost deafening.

"ODINSON!" A voice more boisterous even than that of the god of thunder himself. As a rotund red bearded man in warrior garb bounds down the long hall.

"Volstagg my friend! Good to see you!" Thor's volume instantly climbs to match with the other warrior, arms outstretched They reach each other in the middle of the hall, crushing each other in a bearhug.

"Volstagg, these are my friends from Midgard! This is Tony, Steve, Clint, Natasha, Banner, and you've already met my lady Jane." Thor says gesturing to each individual.

"Wait why am I the only one you didn't call by my first name?" Bruce asks

"Banner isn't your first name?" Thor asks genuinely confused

"No, it's Bruce" both Bruce and Jane say at the same time.

"Oh, well I am sorry, I must have assumed it was since that is what everyone always calls you." Thor says still a little confused.

"Well, I guess since leaving isn't an option, what time is dinner then?" Tony says breaking the awkward silence that fell upon the group.

"Before sundown. You have all been assigned personal chambers in the east wing. You may freshen up if you so desire and meet in the dining hall for drinks." Thor says with a smile

"Just so you guys know Asgard has maids, I guess? To assist you with dressing and escort you around the palace. You can tell them their services aren't needed if you're not comfortable. But personally, I did need help getting this on" Jane says grabbing a bunch of the soft fabric of her dress. "But they are very helpful when it comes to navigating this place. I've gotten lost trying to get around on my own." She says chuckling.

"Thanks for the warning, I'm not very fond of surprises." Natasha says smiling at the brunette who can't help but blush a little.

"Alright, well I guess we'll see each other soon." Clint says already heading down the hall where 5 Asgardian ladies are waiting with their hands folding together in front of them. Bowing her head slightly one of them steps forward opening the door for Barton and following him out.

"Should have grabbed my duffle" Steve says as the rest of the avengers head towards the exit.

* X * X * X *

"How about a max Prison sentence? 50 Earth years at Rikers!?" Clint suggests enthusiastically while raising his stein then taking a large gulp of ale.

The Avengers and Dr. Foster sit around a long table lined with various breads,meats, cheeses, Asgardian fruits and vegetables; as well as pitchers of ale and mead.

"No, Earth could not hold a prisoner such as Loki, and I'm trying to find a solution that keeps him out of a cell." Thor counters

"What if you bound his powers to one of us? Like he could only do what we say? And we would make him do humbling things?" Natasha offers.

"That sounds an awful lot like slavery to me and we abolished that on earth before even my time." Steve says with a sharpness to his voice.

"Well then what do you suggest spangles?" Tony asks with a quick roll of his eyes. The daggers Steve's eyes throw at Tony are extra sharp tonight.

"Loki may be a war criminal, he may have led an invasion into earth, but we all now know just SOME of the things that have happened to him. I believe redemption is possible for any being given the right circumstances and motivation. We just have to figure out Loki's." Steve's words held sincerity and compassion.

"I mean honestly, we do hold this guy's future in our hands. And frankly it's going to be much longer than any of ours. So, if it is our decision, we should at least make sure we made it a good one." Tony says to everyone's surprise.

"He threw you out of a window, Stark?" Natasha said seriously.

"I've had one night stands attempt worse." He says nonchalantly.

"Okay, so we come up with a new plan for Loki on parole? What like community service?" Bruce asks before taking a bite of the potato like vegetables on his plate.

"That is too easy." Clint says taking another biscuit from the mountain on the table.

"I'm still one for binding his magic" Natasha suggests taking a sip of mead.

"That is possible with my fathers magic, and it is likely that he would be in agreement with that suggestion." Thor informs them through bites of pheasant.

"Okay so binding his magic and then he can just walk free?" Tony asks grabbing another drumstick.

"No, my father will want more than that, something humbling perhaps" Thor sips his ale.

"So what like a customer service job?" Tony says laughing from behind his stein.

Everyone falls silent in contemplation.

"I mean nobody gets treated more like shit than service workers" Jane says breaking the silence.

"Serving 'puny mortals' would surely humble Loki Kardashian a bit" Clint Agrees

"Hard work can humble even the most vain of people" Comes steves reply.

"Wait guys I wasn't serious! You really think the fucking god of chaos can keep a job?!" Tony's joking manner has all but disappeared.

"I actually might know just the job for him.

I have a friend in the Hudson Valley, she owns a coffee shop. Nothing worse than a Karen waiting for her coffee" Steve says

Everyone looks at Steve with their jaws on the floor, Tony looks like he is about to swoon.

"What?" Steve asks confused "Did I say that wrong?"

"Awe did Grandpa just use a meme culture reference?!" Tony says with a hand in front of his mouth with dramatic surprise.

"Can it Stark, I'm catching on!" Steve says in a joking tone chuckling as he does.

"What if Loki tries to do something deadly without his magic?" Jane asks sipping her mead.

"Is there a way we could use his magic against him? Or make some sort of condition so he can't hurt anyone?" Clint asks between bites of bread.

"I do believe that can be done. Their are some relics that exist that can bind the magic of a seiðr user to another person. He would not be able to use his magic unless the wearer allowed him too." Thor explains.

"So we would have to bind his magic to one of us? To you?" Steve asks Thor.

"No I wouldn't trust that. Loki knows me well and dare I admit he would try to use that knowledge against me and find loopholes in the magic to get me to allow him to cause mischief." Thor says sullenly

"So to one of us then? Like I suggested earlier." Natasha says matter of factly.

"Yeah but what you suggested sounded more like an abuse of power so out of all of us, you and Clint would be the last option." Tony states

"Pfft, yeah. I don't want to be responsible for a psycho chaos god who enslaved my mind, thank you very much." Clint says taking another large gulp of his ale.

"But the point is that would be a viable solution, would it not?" Steve asks

"As long as I'm not the one pitted with him, I'm all for that idea." Comes Bruce's soft voice from behind his glass of water.

"So it's settled then? Loki will be forced to wear the bindings and we will all speak to my father on his behalf tomorrow. For tonight, we drink!" Thor says raising his stein, the rest of the Avengers join him clinking their respective beverages together in agreement.

* X * X * X *

Thank you all for reading! I am writing this story as I go ak I wont be able to post on a regular basis. I am trying my best to get these first few chapters out without them seeming rushed. But I also didn't want to pull a Quentin Terintino and throw you stright into a story with no context.

Also from here on out I will be posting Chapter warnings at the top and translations at the bottom! Please review!


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The grand walls and sky high ceilings of the throne room echoed the already boisterous and foreboding voice of the All-Father as he explained to his court, why his eldest son and 5 mortals were standing before them.

"As such Loki's altruism shall not be overlooked. Although we cannot deem him worthy of true freedom, he has shown true amelioration. We will hear from his brother Thor and the hero's he fought against on Midgard." Odin says with a flat, emotionless tone. His one eye stating straight as if he were a statue. In truth the All-Father was proud of his younger son, just when he thought Loki was beyond redemption, he shows progress. He knew his decision as All-Father could not be easily swayed or interfered by emotions.

Thor steps forward first, acknowledging the All father first by crossing his balled fist over his chest and kneeling before him. Then giving a courteous nod to the court of nobles on either side of his father.

"Father, lords and ladies of court, I dare beg your forgiveness on calling you all together on this day with such urgency on a matter that seemed to have already been settled. I brought with me today, friends from midgard who fought with me against the Chitauri and Dr. Jane Foster who was previously a host of the æther and fought with me against the dark elves on Svartlfheim and Midgard. All of whom are prepared to share their experiences with Loki and perhaps provide some insight as to what really happened on Midgard and Svartalvheim." Thor says gesturing to the Mortals standing before the court dressed in high class Asgardian Fashion. Each one gleaming in regal golds and silvers paired with colors that resembled their Avengers uniforms uniforms.

It is Jane who steps forward first in her red and silver accented dress that flowed one step behind her.

"All-Father, noble members of the court, my name is Dr. Jane Foster and I am an Astrophysicist on Midgard." Jane starts as though she has rehearsed this many times before. Which she most likely has.

" I was there in New Mexico when Loki first sent the destroyer to Puente Antiguo, a town that has since become abandoned out of Fear that the being may come back. And while I was away during Loki's invasion upon New York City, I have seen the devastation first hand. His actions cannot be easily excused, and New York is a city that will Never forget that. But I was also there on Svartalfheim, when Loki tricked Malekith, putting himself at a great risk. He also protected me and saved my life not once, but twice. Loki shielded me from the blast of the Æther during Thor's first attempt to destroy it. He then fought alongside Thor against Malekith and Kurse. And while Malekith got away with the Æther, Loki continued to fight and kill the remaining dark elves in Malekith's court. He forced me out of the way of a black hole Grenade and almost got sucked in himself. I saw the look on his face as he was falling into it, it was a look of someone who was scared and lost. Not the psychotic, angry, monster he was in New York and nothing like everyone makes him out to be. There was no anger, no regret, just desperation and fear. And when Thor saved him a second away from having his atoms scrambled and erased, he simply got up and continued fighting. In the end it was Loki who defeated Kurse and it was Loki who almost died in the process, not once but twice. Kurse had Thor pinned, pummeling him into the ground and as Loki defeated the last of the dark elves he stabbed Kurse through the back. When Kurse turned around, he pulled loki onto the sword as well. But Loki was clever, he pulled the pin on his black hole grenade and used the last of his energy to teleport Thor and himself out of harms range. If it was not for the healing stone Frigga had given me to study, before her untimely demise, both of her sons would be likely be dead and Melekith would have plunged this and every other world into eternal darkness. While I don't think Loki should be let off free of any charges, I believe he deserves a chance at redemption." Jane finishes bowing slightly and stepping backward.

"Thank you, Jane Foster. I will take your words into consideration." Comes the regal voice of the All-Father.

To everyone's surprise it is Bruce Banner who steps forward next looking more regal and proud in his green purple and Gold ensemble than any avenger has ever seen.

"Odin All-Father, My name is Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, I am a Physicist with 7PhD's in Gamma Radio Physics, Biochemistry, and Thermonuclear Astrophysics. I myself have studied the Tesseract at great lengths, and seen it's potential to corrupt it's environment. It throws off a low level of gamma radiation, so miniscule that unless it was being traced specifically, it would go unnoticed. That kind of radiation can cause dramatic irreversible damage; Nobody knows more about that than I do. Loki used this knowledge to his advantage, he knew it's workings and potential for destruction better than any of us ever could hope to. He himself used the Tesseract's energy for mind control. However a few us us can prove, through research and evidence, that Loki himself may have actually been under the influence of the tesseract during the invasion of New York City."

The sound of multiple gasps and whispers echoed off the walls of the throne room and Odin's face remained expressionless save for a slight rise of the eyebrows.

"How can you prove this theory Dr. Banner?" Odin asks.

"Your godliness, If I may? My name is Agent Clint Barton and I was a victim to the Tesseract's mind control. There is something the court needs to understand about it's influence." Clint says abruptly stepping forward. He waited for any sign of approval from the king upon his throne. Odin nods once and gestures forward slightly.

"The Tesseract's energy, it's control" He can't help but look away as he remembers the feeling of helplessness. "It's not so much something entirely removing you from the equation and shoving something else inside. You're still there, in the back of your own mind. Watching everything happen around you. You still have your memories and thoughts but you cannot control them. The tesseract had you thinking differently, as though it were thinking for you. It was more of a parasite. We all thought the same thoughts, and had the same goal. I killed many of my own men, and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. But what I know, that nobody else does, is that Loki did try to. It was right before we infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D's Helicarrier. I was working on calculations with Dr. Selvig, and Loki was pacing back and forth, panting and grabbing at his hair. I called out to him, ask him if he was okay. When he turned to look at me, one of his eyes was a pale green, while the other remained that impossibly bright fluidic blue that the others under the influence of the Tesseract all had. He dropped to his knees and screamed before burying his head in his hands. After a moment he stood up, and walked away, when I saw him again his eyes were both that Tesseract blue." The whispers echoed along the walls once more.

"And How, Agent Barton, did you break the Tesseract's control?" Odin asks with a hint of accusation in his voice.

"Cognitive Recalibration" Natasha cuts in, Sashaying forward in her black chiffon dress with a red sash that tied right around her midsection.

"I stopped Clint from reaching the Helicarrier's power supply by slamming his head into a railing. The force of the blow gave him a slight concussion, but it broke the Tesseract's control." Natasha states frankly.

"And who might you be?" Odin asks

"Natasha Romanoff, Alföðr." She says in perfect Norsk.

"Do you bare no titles?" He asks.

"Not any I care to admit," she says with a pleasant smile taking a few steps back in line with Steve and Tony.

"After we managed to close the portal and destroy the Chitauri Mothership, a currently absent member of our Team managed to throw Loki around hard enough to recalibrate his cognition as well." Bruce finishes

"An absent member?" Odin asks

"Best forget about that one, bit of a sensitive subject." Tony interjects.

"As I was saying" Clint's voice echoes loud enough to drown out even Tony Stark.

"As soon as Loki was free from the Tesseract's influence. He surrendered, he allowed himself to be captured. It was almost 30 minutes before any one of us even got to where he was laid out on the floor. It wasn't until the whole team was there with weapons drawn that he even tried to stand. He had not only given up, he had no shame. He asked us for a drink, no less! He surrendered with ease and class. That doesn't sound the megalomaniac who was just attempting to take over the world." Clint explains

"But does that prove that he was under the Tesseract's influence?" Odin asks unphased by Clint's sincerity and enthusiasm.

"We could be here all day, explaining, and providing evidence to our theories. We could give you a bulleted list of reasons why Loki should be redeemed. But will that actually redeem him? Will any of it ever change your decision?" Steve was using his authoritative Captain voice as he stepped forward addressing Odin.

"If any of the legends carry any semblance of truth, Loki has been a burden in your eye since you found him. He was prophesied to bring up the end of days, so you murdered his wife and separated and killed his children. Your forms of punishment were aregueably torture and we all stand here today defending a being we fought against. And it's as if we care for him more than you ever have?" Steve begins to everyone's surprise.

"What is your name brave one?" Is all Odin says

"Rogers. Captain Steven Grant Rogers." He answers back straight, head up, hands firmly at his sides, every bit the soldier he was born to be.

"The legends are only based on stories told about the truth but they are not lies. And as you have read some of them you must know what Loki had done to warrant such disciplinary actions." Odin responded

"I'd hardly call being bound to a rock with his youngest son's intestines a disciplinary action." Steve said coldly, jaw set but his posture and volume remained unwavering.

"Wait what?" Both Clint and Tony practically shouted.

Odin looks forlorn for a few moments avoiding anybody's eyes until the whispers began echoing again.

"You there, you have been awfully quiet." He says "Do you have nothing to say about my son?" Odin says. Thor looks up shocked at the words 'my son'.

"Me?" Tony asked pointing to himself "Oh no I do have a bunch to say, but I've been told it's too colorful and to keep my mouth shut.

But I'm Tony Stark, Genius, Billionaire, Inventor, Playboy, Technological Hero. I don't have a long winded speech prepared and frankly, I don't think it would make you see the error of your ways so I'll just save my breath."

"For once" Clint mumbles just loud enough for the inventor to hear.

"Loki's actions may have rained horror and devastation upon New York City. But where those truly his intentions? He wanted to be a king, to be praised, respected, loved and feared all at once, and frankly, what man does not? He and I are a lot a like I have been told, and I believe it. He used MY tower to open his portal. Because not only is it currently the largest building in the city, AND runs on self sustaining energy, it has my name plastered across the front. I am 'arguably' the king of New York City."

Tony chose to ignore the sneers and backhand comments from his team mates.

"Had Loki won the battle, he most likely likely would have kept the building as a trophy. He's a diva much like myself. He wanted fireworks and parades and monuments of himself built in the sky." He says gesturing with his arms.

"He wanted legends told of his glory! Instead of prophecies of his destruction. He wanted to drown out the sounds of his children's screams with sounds of loving praise." Tony's voice drops to a more somber note towards the end of his speech.

"We have a lot in common. I was once known as the merchant of death. People are capable of change, no matter how old they are, or what they've done. As long as they are willing to make the change." Tony finishes as a hand comes up and adjusts his sunglasses, he refused to take off.

"Were you not the Avenger Loki threw out of a window?" A female member of the court asks.

"Oh, yeah that was me." Tony responds nonchalantly

"But you are still alive?!" A male member from the other side of the court asks

"The Ironman suit has flight capabilities, it reached me before I hit the ground." Tony says

"And you can forgive him for that?" Odin asks

"I've had one night stands attempt worse" Tony says coolly

"Thor?"

"He means a bed mate father, one who was not a lover." Thor explains, the other father laughs. A wholehearted genuine belly laugh that slowly causes the other members of the court to laugh as well.

"Very well, I have heard your justifications and I agree that Loki's punishment should be open for rehabilitation. Did you all have a course of action in mind?" Odin's tone was almost relieved, as though this was always his goal.

"Yes father, we have deliberated long about this matter!" Thor practically shouts with a beaming smile.

"I suggested Earth Prison, just for the record." Clint says raising his hand slightly.

"All I ask is that no matter the decision, Loki's powers be bound." Natasha's smooth voice causes everyone else to go silent and listen to her.

"That can and will be arranged Ms. Romanoff" Odin himself says calmly

"Our main focus would be forcing him to work in service of the public. Interacting with humans in a way that makes him understand why he could never hope to rule or control them. Degradation and humility should help humble him. Teaching him the value and importance of life is necessary to his recovery." Steve states calmly.

"Getting him a job teaches him that not everything will always be handed to him, especially when it comes to his dependence of magic. Hard work is a very humbling course of action." Bruce adds.

"I'll be sure to go there everyday just to make it harder for him" Clint says with a smile.

"Degradation will be more detrimental to Loki's ego than any prison could be." Thor states

"If thats what you're going for, why not just use that slave punishment Asgard has?" Clint asks

"Everybody deserves a second chance Barton, you and I both know that." Steve says firmly and the matter is dropped.

" I know people with breathtaking patience, who still lose their cool with customers. Humans can be really cruel creatures. And when they feel they are above someone, like a customer service worker, the way they treat them is horrible. It's really humbling to have to work for others, cleaning the toilets, taking out the garbage, standing for 8 or more hours. It's really draining and stressful. But there are somethings that can be rewarding. It makes you appreciate any free time, and you get to know the people who come in everyday. If you can make someone's day better, it's a really nice feeling." Jane explains with a slight smile at the end.

After a moment of pure silence, Odin nods once before standing, the sound of his scepter hitting the floor echoed across the hall sending chills down everyone's backs.

"I have heard the words of Thor and Earth's mightiest heroes and have come to a decision. Loki will be released under the watch of the Avengers. He will be forced to perform whatever necessary duties this 'job' entails while wearing the chains of Gleipnir. He will have his seiðr bound to both Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Until the day he has truly redeemed himself." Odin's voice Echoes loudly off the walls of the throne room.

"Oh, uhm hold on. How about no?! There is no way in hell Im-" Tony was promptly cut off by a large hand clamping over his mouth and small bursts of lighting sparking his skin.

"He will accept the offer, Father. Thank you!" Thor shouts over Tony's protests

"Good, then it is done!" Odin says slamming his scepter on the marble floors as another flash of blinding colorful light circled around all of mortals, as the Bi-Frost sent them home just as suddenly as they arrived.

* X * X * X *

Hey readers! Thank you all for reading so far! This one was a bit difficult for me to write because I had a couple segments from other chapters that I cut out and I was trying to rearrange them to fit in this one! Please review!


	5. Chapter 4

***Chapter Warnings: **Mentions of marijuana.*

Hey there! I just wanna thank you guys for reading and following this story! I'm sorry for the break between chapters, with the holidays I was away from home without my laptop, so thanks for being patient and without further adue, here is chapter 4!

"Well" Tony groans stretching his back and rolling his shoulders having hoped to land on a softer spot in the living room. "That was intense and calls for more than just a drink. You wanna join me Robert?" Tony jabs at banner, making his way across the living room to the Master bedroom, with said scientist in tow. Where a huge bag of weed was waiting for him on top of a set of bongo drums.

The rest of the team takes a minute to reorient themselves and settle on the couches and chairs in Tony's large living room. A few minutes later said inventor announced that he was hungry and considering Sushi for dinner. Steve admits he's never had it and then of course they HAD to order one of every roll on the menu. The mentioning of food was enough to make Clint stay behind and Natasha just wanted the shumai and egg drop soup. Bruce mumbled something about a California roll before heading back to the lab and telling them to call him when it was here.

"What about a Garbage truck driver?" Clint calls from the couch having eaten way too many dumplings.

"As humiliating as that is, I don't think that would teach him much of a lesson. Part of the rehabilitating Loki is him learning something from interacting with humans." Steve says washing down his food with warm green tea.

"Okay so it has to be customer service, what about fast food?" Tony asks swallowing his 32nd piece of sushi.

"He would probably get fired on the first day for calling someone a puny mortal" Bruce says pouring himself a cup of tea.

"I mean I have an idea, but it would take quite a bit of convincing." Steve admits

"Cap, no we are Not turning Loki into a stripper. That is wrong on so many levels!" Tony shouts

"So wrong that you would be the only one to think of that Stark" Natasha interjects

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that Stark" Steve says and tries his best to hate the mental images that flood his head of a naked Loki dancing on a stage.

"No I'm owed a favor by a girl who owns a coffee shop about an hour north of here. I saved her from a chitari during the invasion and we met again after the benefit gala for the victims of the invasion; She is a really sweet girl. We exchanged contact information after the Gala, she said her family works for some powerful people in the city and if I ever needed anything I could ask. I've e-mailed her a couple of times and we met up one or twice after that. But I'm not even sure she lives in New York anymore."

"Ooouu look at the captain racking up the digits, so is she hot?" Tony says pouring himself a cup of sake.

"Tony leave the guy alone" Clint groans from the couch

"Can you call her?" Natasha asks calmly.

"Can we meet her?!" Tony insists loudly placing his cup on the table.

"I uhm, I can call her, But we haven't spoken in over a year, I doubt she will even answer." Steve says pulling out his phone.

"Can't hurt to try" Clint says shrugging his shoulders.

Steve pulls out his phone and searches through the contacts for a four letter name.

Once he finds it, he presses the dial button and puts the small device to his ear, Tony and Natasha immediately leaned in closer as Clint jumps off the couch. Noticing everyone's reactions he puts the device down and sets it on speaker phone. It rings...and rings...and..

"Hello?" A soft, yet unsure voice calls from the other line.

"Hi, is this Mara?" Steve asks

"Yes? May I ask who is calling?" The voice asks even more hesitant and unsure.

"Mara, this is Steve Rogers? We met in New York city, do you remember me?"

"Yes of course, How could I forget? I was just not expecting your call. Is everything okay, did you need something?" The voice asks, with a more relaxed and suave tone that held a hint of concern.

"Sorry I'm calling you so late, everything is okay for the most part. I am going to need to cash in on the favor though" Steve said a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Steve it's only 8pm, I'd hardly call this an inappropriate hour. But I'll accept your apology on account of having just closed the shop for the evening." The voice on the other end of the phone was soft and velvety like something you would expect to hear in a vintage film. Even through the grumbly full volume speaker phone, her voice had a way of making you melt just a little.

Tony leans back in his chair fanning himself with his hands.

'Holy fuck, she sounds hot' Stark silently mouthed to Clint, over exagerating his facial expressions.

'I know' Clint mouthed back quietly whistling.

Natasha cut them both off with a look that could have killed god.

"Don't you usually close around 10? Did you change the hours?" Steve asks strategically avoiding the favor he knows he will have to ask her. Tony leans back in resting his chin on his hands.

"Yeah, but I had to fire my part time closer and I had to come in to cover that shift so I closed early tonight, nobody really comes in after 8 anyway. Save for a few regulars who would understand anyway. If they want their coffees that badly they can go to Dunkin For the night." She says with a slightly defeated tone. There is a small popping sound that could be recognized as the sound of a wine bottle being opened and Tony's eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Geez he was that bad huh?" Steve asks smiling down at the table.

"Not as bad as you are at avoiding tell me what this favor is." She says with an obvious smile in her voice.

This time it's Natasha, who moves her hand in a slight horizontal line as she says "Smooth".

Steve blushes slightly chuckling as he scratches the back of his head. Natasha notices the obvious school boy behavior and makes a mental note of it.

"As it so happens I may have something that could help us both out." Comes his reply.

"I'm listening" says the velvet voice through the phone.

"You need a new closer, and I have someone in desperate need of a job. He doesn't have much work experience but he will do whatever you need him to." Steve says kind of quickly.

"That sounds like it comes with a catch, you also wouldn't have called me just for a job reference." She says.

"No, I- it's really complicated Mara. He just really needs a job and he really doesn't know anything about coffee. But he will do anything you tell him to do, I promise. He can work any shift he just can't work alone, at least not for a while until he really gets the hang of it. This is really important or I wouldn't ask you, I need him to work for someone I can trust." The captain sounds so sure, like when he is talking to one of his comrades. No longer the blushing schoolboy who's brought to his knees with a word.

"Wow! a bonafide promise from Captain America himself! Well, I appreciate that you trust me, it really does mean a lot. You do remember that my shop is in New Paltz though right? That is over an hour away. He would have to take a train every day." It was very hard to tell if she was being genuine or sarcastic with the amount of drama dripping from the first sentence.

"That shouldn't be a problem, he will get there when you need him."

"Okay, Uhm. Let me- Can I drink on it?" She asks sighing heavily

Tony over dramatically melts into a puddle falling out of his chair. Clint tries his best to stifle his laughter,Natasha cracks a smile, and Steve blushes once again.

"Yeah, just let me know tomorrow if you can?" Steve says

"Sure thing Capitaine." She says in a smooth french accent.

"Have a good night Mara." Steve says smiling.

"G'night Steve" she says. Steve smiles as he hits the 'End' button on the phone.

"I think I'm in love" Tony says from somewhere in a puddle below the table.

"Woooowww" is all Clint says.

"Well she seems like a fun character." Natasha says sipping her green tea.

* X * X * X *

Later that night, Steve decided he may as well stay the night after all. Bruce, practically lived at the tower now a days, decided to finish some calculations from the other day and head to bed. Natasha and clint however had gone to their respective homes for the night.

Tony insisted on a horror movie and although Steve protested, here they were watching some movie about a family getting terrorized by poltergeists. One thing Steve would never admit is, even though he is fearless in battle, he is easily spooked. He was never a fan of horror movies or haunted houses.

So when a sudden demon appeared on screen just as a sudden crash of thunder struck at the same time as a blinding flash of light left 2 norse gods in its wake. Not only Steve, but Tony jumped at least 3 feet of the couch and Tony was practically in Steve's lap; who was damn near in the floor.

"Jesus Christ Thor, we really need to work out inter realm communication for you, because I really don't think the arc reactor would be able to help me through a heart attack" Tony said slowly moving off of Steve clutching his chest breathing heavily.

"I am sorry my friend, I did try to use your communication device, but it-"

"It doesn't work on Asgard, I know. What's he doing here?" Tony asks interrupting the thunderer before him. The "He" tony refers to is a certain black haired god of chaos, with his hands bound in large metal shackles that resembled chainsaw blades and moved of their own accord.

"My brother is to stay here on Earth with you two? Was that not clear?" Thor said as more of a statement than a question.

"Not really." Steve said.

"Uhm, not at all!" Tony practically shouted

"Loki shouldn't be kept in the same city he tried to overtake don't you think?" Steve asked now standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Loki scowled at the fact that people were talking as though he were not in the same room.

"Uh, he should be kept in a cage." Tony said with venom in his voice.

"How dare you stand here in front of me, and talk down on me! As though you have ANY of what-" Loki begins what would have no doubt been a lengthy speech but is cut off by Steve.

"I think what you mean to say is Thank you Tony and Steve for sticking up for me and getting me out of prison. You're welcome Loki." He says firmly and loudly, the voice of a commanding officer. Loki clamped his mouth shut, gulping down his words. A strange burning sensation began in the back of his throat as he began to formulate words that have never been easy for the former Asgardian prince.

"Thank you" the words came out as a whisper.

The stunned silence that followed was short lived as Tony clapped his hand over his mouth.

"What was that?" The inventor asked.

"I will Not repeat myself, _daufi kýr_!" Loki shouts.

"What did you just call me?!" Tony steps forward but is stopped by a large firm hand on his chest.

"Man of Iron, do not engage with my brother, Loki leave the man be, he saved you from a life sentence in prison, and you must learn to be in harmony with them. Your magic is now under their control, you will not be permitted to use it unless they both agree it is necessary." The blonde god informs his brother holding him back for a moment.

"_Vald þinn lyndis-bragð Loki_" Thor's voice came as a whisper to Loki.

"_Nei heit_" Loki sneered back.

Steve visibly shivered but tried to hide it by dropping his arms and rolling his shoulders.

Loki made a mental note of the blonde man's reaction.

"Mind sharing the conversation with the peanut gallery?" Tony sounded just a little annoyed.

"No" was all Loki said.

"Anyway, My father will want to know of his whereabouts, I trust you have made arrangements for one of these 'jobs' and Loki will attend. As for transportation, Loki is perfectly capable of teleporting wherever you require. He will not be able to deviate or scheme without your knowledge. He must oblige to your allowance of his magic, but he does not have to do everything you say. Be careful of his ways with words, he earned the title Silvertongue for good reason, he will use it against you." Thor explains.

"Still right here." Loki chimes in

"Still dont care. " Tony deflects "continue" he says with a slight wave of his hand.

"Well that's really all there is." Unshackling Loki's neck, which causes the other 3 shackles to click open by themselves. The thin golden chains wrapped around each of Loki's wrists resemble snakes with bright green gems as eyes.

"Woah, hey can we just keep those on instead?" Tony asks putting his hands out in defense.

"Do not worry my friends, Loki cannot hurt you with these on." He says handing out 2 similar chains to each of the men before him.

These chains differ only in metal and gem color. The one Steve takes in Silver with Blue gems for eyes. The other that Tony takes in also silver but has red eyes.

"But how-?" Steve begins to say as he places the silver chain on his wrist. A golden glow forms around the chain as it slithers around his wrist and hardens there. "Oh" is all he manages.

Well, I'll leave you to it" he says as a bright flash of light sweeps him away, leaving the 3 men alone in the living room.

* X * X * X *

Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think!

***Translations**: Daufi Kýr - Stupid Cow

Vald þinn lyndis-bragð - Control your temper

Nei heit - No Promise

Translations from Vikings of


	6. Chapter 5

The 3 men, well 2 men and 1 norse god, took a few minutes just standing there staring at each other. Tony and Steve both standing with their arms crossed, and Loki standing with his arms behind his back. All silently each other to break the tension. It's Tony who does, uncrossing his arms while sighing heavily.

"Well, I'm not really sure how this whole thing works so I'm gonna leave this one to you Cap." He says, clapping Steve on the shoulder and attempting to walk past him; however, he is quickly stopped by a strong arm grabbing his bicep, effectively breaking his step.

"Oh no you're not. Odin left us both in charge, that means you have to help me come up with rules and regulations too." Steve would never admit to himself nor anyone else, that he was nervous to be in the God's presence.

"He's not a soldier, Cap." Tony counters feeling as though he was repeating himself from the time Coulson died.

"You know what I mean, Tony." Steve says letting go of his arm. They both stare at each other for a second, challenging. It's Tony, again, who breaks with a heavy sigh and a slight groan.

"Fine Loki. No magic. No fighting with other Avengers. No parties. And absolutely no throwing people out of windows! I don't even want to see you look at them for too long." Tony says stepping forward to emphasize his words until their noses are almost pressed together. Loki can't help but crack a smile as he looks down at the angry inventor before him.

"How did the ground feel?" Is all Loki asks, lowering his head too look menacingly into Tony's eyes. The smaller man tries to suppress a shudder as he recalls the feeling of falling over 100 floors.

"Wouldn't know, didn't hit it. But how did my floor feel on your back when Hulk smashed you into it?" Tony's reply came without hesitation. Steve's hand clapped down on Tony's shoulder. This time Loki actually does visibly shudder. Steve cuts the tension by grabbing a hold of Tony's shoulder.

"On second thought, why don't you sit this one out Stark?" He said pulling him back slightly.

Tony said nothing as he jerked his shoulder out of Steve's grasp and walked across the living room to his bedroom.

"He is half right, you know?" Steve says, breaking the tension in the room. He makes his way back over to the couch jerking his head a bit in that direction. Loki takes it as a cue to follow and sits down on the couch opposite Steve. Immediately, the god thinks less of Stark just by his furniture choice, the couch is made up of harsh square shapes that deny much comfort.

"It's important to understand that your freedom comes with his serious restrictions." Steve begins.

"Yes, as I am painfully aware." Loki spits holding up the wrist with the silver snake wrapped around it. Loki would never admit it, but he is actually grateful for all of the avengers for getting him out of the dungeons. Not that they were too terribly unpleasant, but this was still a better arrangement.

"Yes, but I mean beyond that. He was right about not picking fights with the other Avengers. Some of them wanted worse outcomes for you." Steve can't help wringing his hands as he thinks of what might have happened to Loki if Clint or Natasha got their way.

"And yet they still posed themselves as an ally and ensured my release." Loki tilting his head to the side a bit.

"Some of us were quite persuasive" Steve says thinking back on the trial, Jane's sincerity, Banner's facts, Clint's admission.

"Oh, I'm sure. I've met Ms. Romanov, she is probably the only mortal who has ever caught me off guard." Loki says with a slight smirk.

"Natasha voted slavery for you." Steve says matter of factly. Loki's smirk drops, confusion takes its place.

"All I'm saying is you best leave Banner to his peace." Steve says going for the TV remote.

"Banner? The green rage monster? Of all of you, he is the last I'd expect." Loki says in disbelief.

"Yeah, it shocked us all really. So, house rules are usually simple, Tony and I haven't quite worked out where you'll be staying, but I know if it were up to S.H.I.E.L.D...you would be a lab rat. Odin also gave us both the condition that one of us must be with you at all times. So for the first week or so Tony or I will be with you in the coffee shop." Steve explains to Loki's confusion.

"Coffee shop?" Loki interrupts, his face scrunched in confusion.

"Did Thor explain any of this to you yet?"

"Only that I were to wear the chains of Gleipnir. And be banished to midgard under the rule of the Avengers." Loki was telling the truth for once. Nobody had explained much of anything to him. Loki will admit that part of that was his fault. Thor was talking on the walk through Asgard's Palace, but Loki mostly blocked it out. He was still in shock that he was being released at all.

"Geez, well I guess there must not have been much time between the trial and your arrival." Loki couldn't help but wonder if the blonde man always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.

"Basically, you'll have to live like a mortal. You'll be without your magic, you'll have to get a job, and you'll have to do chores. Just like any regular human." Steve explains with a slight smirk loving the humiliating look that makes it's way across the god's face.

"Really?! You all thought this a better option than Asgard's dungeons?!" Loki shouts jumping to his feet in slight hysteria.

Just then a voice from the ceiling causes Loki to jump a few feet and land in a fighting stance.

"Mr. Laufeyson please have a seat, I have been instructed to warn you and Mr. Stark anytime your vital signs become too elevated." The robotic voice says.

"What was that?!" Loki growls at Steve.

"That's Jarvis, he's Tony's personal Assistant. He is an A.I. which I guess stands for artificial intelligence? Tony explained it all once, but basically tony has cameras everywhere and they all work together with a computer. I'm not really sure how it works but Jarvis sees all and talks back; he helps Tony be Tony Stark...You really should do what he says and have a seat." Steve's calm demeanor, and rambling explanation seems to pacify the god as he slowly calms down into his seat.

"I have a friend who lives in the Mid-Hudson Valley, it's about 60 miles away from here. She owns a coffee shop in New Paltz, it's a little college town so at least you'll be working with young people, they tend to be nicer over there. You'll be out of the city so you're less likely to be recognized. If you are, that is one of those really rare moments you will be allowed to use your magic-"

"Seiðr" Loki says in almost a whisper, but it was loud enough for Steve to hear it.

"What was that?" He asks

"Seiðr. It's not magic; I have studied and practiced this for centuries. Magic just comes naturally or is given. Seiðr is something that flows through Asgard, and must be committed to. Once you learn how to wield it, it embeds itself into your being. Without it, I could die." Loki explains flatly.

"Okay, so how do you say that?" Steve asks curiously.

"Seiðr" Loki says enunciating.

"Saythur?" Steve butchers the word.

"Close, seiðr" Loki tries again.

"Say- Seiðr?" Steve stumbles.

"Yes" Loki praises.

"Okay, so that would be a rare time when you're allowed to use your seiðr to shapeshift, and only to shapeshift." As Steve says that, both men's respective Snake eyes glow for a second and both can feel a rushing tingling sensation crawl up their arms and across their bodies just for a moment. As the feeling subsided a mixture of curiosity, confusion and amazement took over the captain's face.

"What the fuck was that?!" The exclamation was similar to the words the blonde was about to say...Except the words came from somewhere behind a closed door across the room. Said door burst open to reveal a half naked Tony Stark in his red boxers.

"Did your bracelets just glow? Because this snake was already creepy enough and now its glowing. Loki what did you do? Jarvis?!" The panic was very evident in Tony's voice as he began speaking a mile a minute.

"Yes sir?" The AI's calm voice answered.

"What did Loki do?" He asked, taking a puff from whatever was smoking in his hand.

"Stark calm down. I think it was something I did." Steve calls from the couch.

"Captain Rogers is correct sir. From my perspective it would appear that Mr. Loufeyson's ma-

"Loki, call him Loki" Tony cut him off.

There was an electronic sound before Jarvis continued as though uninterrupted.

"Loki's magic was channeled through those chains and can only be accessed by anything you or Captain Rogers verbally allow." Jarvis finishes.

Tony turns to Loki a bit confused, looks back at the golden snake around his wrist then back to Loki.

"So we have to tell you when you can and can't use your powers?" Tony asks his face scrunched in curiosity and confusion.

"Seiðr" Steve corrects to both Tony and Loki's surprise. Loki can't help but find it endearing as he realizes he has been staring at the blonde for a bit too long. Back on asgard people believed his use of seiðr to be Argr, and therefore, always made fun of it. Never has anyone ever defended it.

"Well excuse me." Tony says throwing his hands up in mock offense. He didn't miss the look Loki gave Steve and told himself to keep a mental note of it.

"I assume that must be so." Came Loki's delayed response.

"You assume? As in you don't know? We're all magically chained together and you don't even know how it works?" Tony asks a bit frantic sounding.

Loki looked lost, like for once he did not know what to say. And the truth was, he truly didn't. Thor had come to him directly after the meeting and brought him before his father. The former only told him he would be sent to Midgard under the watch of Thor and the other Avengers, and his Seiðr was to be suppressed. Without his Seiðr, he was nearly defenseless. Yes, he could fight, but his physical strength was matched by Steve alone. Norns forgive him if The Man of Iron had enough time to get his suit.

"I don't think he knows anything Stark. I dont think Thor told him much. He didn't even know he only has to answer to the two of us."

Loki was a mixture of annoyed and relieved that Steve answered for him.

"For as much as I am sure these are 3 pieces of the chain Gleipnir. Which was used to bind the great wolf Fenris. The All Father must have had to dwarves fashion them into these while I was being sentenced." Loki explains toying with the green eyed snake around his wrist.

"Fenris? Like your son Fenris?" Steve asks curiously. He remembered Thor talking about Loki's children before the trial, if his memory was right and it usually was Fenris was his second child by Angrboða.

"HOW IN THE NINES DO YOU KNOW ABOUT-?!" Loki begins to shout jumping out of his seat. The realization hits him, and he suddenly calms, putting his hand up to his temples, covering his face, and sighing. "Thor" is all he says.

"You got that right Reindeer Games. Thor told us about your previous wife, and how you had so many children you can't even keep track." Stark said nonchalantly. It took all of 3 seconds for Loki to move across the living room floor and cocked his fist back to land a blow in Tony's smug face. It took only 2 for Steve to catch the fist an inch from the billionaire's face.

Said billionaire flinched in anticipation and was shocked when the blow never came. For a moment everything was silent, the only sound was Loki's heavy breathing and he strained against Rogers's restricting hand on his own.

"Loki, it's best if you calm down and step away. Stark, that was beyond uncalled for. Your help is no longer needed, and it's best if you stay away from Loki for the rest of the evening." Steve says placing a hand on Stark's chest, lightly shoving the smaller man away from the norse god. Loki slowly lowers his fist still shaking ever so slightly. After a few moments of the men glaring daggers at each other, Tony slowly turned on his heels and made his way into his bedroom. Loki couldn't believe the audacity of the inventor. Anyone could say anything about Loki and he couldn't care less, but NONE could ever speak against his children and live to tell the tale.

"Sorry about him." Steve says after a moment. Loki says nothing as he processes the wide range of emotions flooding through him as he thinks of all his children and the things they have been through over the centuries.

"On that note we will need to set some ground rules," Steve says and when Loki still says nothing, he continues.

"So, no harm may come to the Avengers or Mara or any of Mara's customers. Physical or mental harm, you cannot use your Seiðr to help you make coffees. You may only use you it to protect or help Mara in an emergent situation. Is that clear?" Steve was in Captain America mode as he stood with his back perfectly straight and his hands at his sides with his chin raised as he spoke. The authority was practically dripping off of him. Loki really wished he didn't have a thing for subjugation in that moment or the way Steve's tongue rolled when he spoke of the Gods magic. Loki could only think enough to nod his head in agreement.

"Good, for tonight we should get some rest, tomorrow you'll be meeting Mara. Come on, ill show you to the guest rooms." Steve says, nodding his head to the side and walking to the elevator and Loki follows.

X * X * X * X

Thank you all for reading! I finally got myself a beta so chapters may take a bit longer to come through but the quality of them should be a bit better. Reviews motivate me to write faster!


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